Metal feed trough



Aprl.2l, 1942. E. MURPHY METAL FEED TROUGH Filed Feb. 7, 1940 Tal gezayza e' Z Patented Apr. 21, 1942 l UNITED rar Price 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a feed trough and it is one object of the invention to provide afeed trough which is formed entirely of metal, thus providing a trough which is cheap to manufacture, simple in construction, and very strong and durable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trough which has a body portion formed of corrugated sheet metal, thereby imparting strength to the trough and, in addition, allowing the body to have longitudinal expansion and contraction to prevent the trough from being damaged by freezing of the contents thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide the trough with end walls serving as groundengaging supports for the trough and tending' to maintain the corrugated body of the trough out of engagement with the ground and allow expansion and contraction to take place.

Another object of the invention is to so form the end walls that they will project from opposite sides of the trough an appreciable extent and veiy rmly support the trough against overturning, the end walls or supports being also so formed that they will have wide ground-engaging surfaces and thus be prevented from being forced into the ground.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a View showing the trough'partially in side elevation and partially in longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with one end wall shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken transversely through the trough on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken vertically through one end of the trough.

This improved trough may be of any length and width desired according to the use to which it is to be put and has a body I formed of corrugated sheet metal, the corrugations extending the full width of the body and being arcuate in cross section and merging into each other so that the body may be expanded longitudinally and afterward contract in response to freezing and subsequent thawing of its contents.

The body is arcuate in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3, and, at its ends, is formed with inwardly extending flanges 2 which are welded, as shown at 3, to firmly secure the flanges in face to face engagement with inner surfaces of end walls 4 which are also formed of sheet metal and are of such width that they project .from

opposite sides of the trough an appreciable distance, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Welding is cheaper than riveting and, in addition, forms a substantially integral structure devoid of seams or crevioes. Therefore, there are no seams in which the contents of the trough may gather and, when expanded by freezing, exert force which will open a seam or form cracks which render the trough useless, due to leakage. By welding the parts together the expansion and contraction of the constituent metal due to changes in temperature offer no hazards. 'I'he sheet metal strips or plates from which the end walls are formed are solid in order to form imperforate end walls for the trough and impart added strength to the portions of the end walls which project from opposite sides of the body I. Upper portions of the sheet metal strips or plates forming the end walls are bent to form inwardly extending flanges 5 which overlap and rest upon upper edges of side walls of the trough body at opposite ends thereof and also bear against ends of the flanges 2 of the body. Therefore, the fianges 5 serve to brace end portions of the body. Lower edge portions of the end walls are also bent inwardly to form lower flanges 6 which extend inwardly under ends of the body in engagement therewith, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and not only form wide ground-engaging surfaces but cooperate with the upper flanges to impart longitudinal strength to the end walls.

Since the lower flanges extend under ends of the body in supporting engagement therewith, they will tend to hold the body out of contact with the ground and thus eliminate friction which might interfere with expansion and contraction of the corrugated body. The end walls not only serve their function as closures for ends of the body but also constitute supports which rest upon the ground and are of such width that they will project from opposite sides of the trough body and very effectively prevent the trough from being overturned by animals or poultry eating or drinking from the trough. If water or thin food placed in the trough should freeze, the body l may expand longitudinally and later on contract without danger of deforming the trough body.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A feed trough comprising an elongated body of sheet metal arcuate transversely and formed with transverse corrugations, the corrugations extending the full width of the body and being arcuate in transverse section and merging into and the upper flanges overlapping ends of the body and resting thereon, said body having its end flanges bearing against inner faces of the end walls, and metal fused along inner faces of the end walls and inner and outer surfaces of the end flanges of the body to Weld the body to the end walls and form a solid joint therebetween EMANUEL MURPHY. 

